Illuminating sighting appliance.



PATENTBD JULY 28, 1908.

W. H. WRGHT.

`IIJLHMINATING SIGHTING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1907.

WITNESSES.'

unrrnn srarns PATENT ernten.

WILLIAM I-I. WRIGHT, OF LICK OBSERVATORY, CALIFORNIA.

ILLUMINATING SIGI-ITIN G APPLIANCE.

Application filed May 18,

To-all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Lick' Observatory, in the county 4of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in. Illuminating Sighting Ap liances, of which the following is a speci ieation.

My invention relates to an illuminating sighting appliance for fire-arms to facilitate the aiming of the piece in the dark.

The object of the invention has been to evolve an attachment of this sort which is eminently practical, and which can be used on guns, arms and ordnance of all kinds and descriptions; the present invention being the result of long experiment and based on scientific principles.

The invention consists ofthe parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingl reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of the device as applied to a revolver. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the lamp tube. Figs. 4 to 7 inelusive, illustrate shapes of filaments. Fig. S is a plan view of a portion of the plates o and a horizontal section of a portion of the sleeve member 7, showing means affording hori-v zontal adjustment of the device;

The present invention eomprehends eseeially the mechanism for mounting a lighting apparatus on the piece; also to lpolishing or whitening the interior of the ghting tube so that none of the light rays Will be completely absorbed; and providing a lamp in said tube with crossed or inter,- secting filaments, with a lens or other suitable means for projecting an image of said. filaments forward along t-he line of fire, in such a manner that the image of the intersection of the filaments will indicate the vicinity of the point .lying in the 'actual line of fire.

Although I have shown and shall herein describe the application of the invention to a small arm like a pistohit will be manifest that the same idea is applicable to fire-arms of any description including heavy ordnance.

A represents a tube, polished or white on the inside surface, andv carrying an incandescent electric lan'ip 2 which is arranged proximate to the principal focus of the lens Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented July 28, 1908.

1907. Serial N0. 374,474.

3, which latter is carried by the front end of the tube. Behind the lens, and if space permits, extending around and forward of the lamp, is a suitable reflector el. As shown in Fig. 3 this reflector is made integral with a socket 5 which holds the lamp. The obj ect ofthe lens 3 is to project an image ol' the filaments of the lamp on an object at which the arm is directed` This condition will be practically realized if the filamentis in the immediate vicinity of the principal focus of the lens. Light from the lamp striking the reflector l or the white or polished interior of the tube A is reflected and diffused and goes to make up the illuminating beam. The lens collects rays proceeding direi-fly from the filaments and projects an image of the filament on the object at which the apparatus is directed. As the filament of an ordinary incandescent lamp however is not a point but a thread,the resulting image thrown on the object aimed at, would not be a small spot of light but a bright line of considerable length. lt is therefore a matter of importance to have some way of distinguishing the part of the line which marie... the vicinity of the point actually aimed at.

In the preferred form of the device two filaments are employed, crossingr each other at right angles and clearing each other by such a small amount ol' space that both are in the immediate vicinityY of the focus of the lens. These filaments liel at right angles to the axis of the lens. A front view of the filament, or a View of the image of such a filament projected by the lens, is indicated in Fig. 4. The )oint of intersection of the two lines lof light indicate the immediate vicinity where the bullet will strike. Instead of having two filaments as above described, I may employ a filament crossed on itselfl in Fig. 5, or the 'filament may be distorted at some point of its length to imlicate the point lying on the line of fire, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The size and character' of the reflector will depend more or less on the length and diameter of the tube A.

In the form of construction here shown the tube is adjustably connected to the side plates 6 which are secured to or form partof the sleeve member 7. This sleeve is adapted to slip over the end of the piec .ln order to maire it adjustable to arms of' different sizesand to cause it to fit properly thereon, it is provided with thebosses or lugs S' nearI each put on or taken ofi' of' the lire-arm.

' plate 18 is made end, adapted to` rest against the barrel and with the spring-side-clips 10 which embrace the barrel and hold the piece iirmly.

Where the device is to 't a pistol or other arm having a ziront sight, the sleeve is provided with a spring-actuated-hinged-cap 11 foldable downward over the sight and having a slot up through which the siglit 12 of the piece projects. This slotted cap acts to lock the device on the gun and prevents the shock of the recoil from arring the attachment loose from the barrel. The lugs S fix the alinement of the device with regard to the barrel. Y

The device as thus constructed is quickly The barrel is preferably pivotally attached to the side plates 6 by means of the screws 6 adj acenty to one end of the plates 6 g the other end of these plates having the segmental slots in which the adjusting screws 6b iit. The slotted screw holes 6a allow for the necessary vertical adjustment of the device with respect to the line of lire. Horizontal adjustnent is also allowed for by a pivotal screw G2 and segmental slot L63 which allows piece 6 to be pointed to the right or left.

Any suitable'means may be employed to o erate the electric lamp 2. With a iireari'n of this descri tion l prefer to attach a small battery to arm and provide a switch mechanism under control of the hand in which the gun is su ported for eli'ecting the illumination. As sliown in Fig. 1 the bate tery 13is screwed into the butt of the piecel and has one terminal grounded to the metal arts of the gun and has the other terminal 1n electrical contact with the spring member 14 in the stock` This spring-member 14 is normally out of Contact with a cross-pin 15 connected with a side-plate 16. The movements of the contact member 14 may be controlled by the button 17. The plate 16 is in sliding electrical contact with the plated@ which is secured to the barrel portion of the gun. The adjacent ends of the plates 16'-18 overlap and slide on each other to permit the piece to be broken for the purpose of loading or of extracting the shells, and ofthe movement of the barrel about the pivot 19 in the usual extracting and loading of the piece.

The contact between the lamp and the yielding by the following means for the purpose of insuring a proper connection for the lamp when the device is placed on the lire-arm: The back of the tube A is closed as shown at a and a metal .flange cap 20 is slidable in this closed end 0,. rlhe central 'terminal oiz the lamp presses a stem 21 titting in a coil spring 22 which is seated in the cap 20. VYl/V'Yhenever the device is put on the piece the cap 20 comes in'ccntact with the plate 18, and as lthe device is pushed back into position to be locked over the sight 12,

, the cap 20 is pushed inward against the force ceases of the' spring 22 so as 'to insure a proper' electrical contact and' allow suflicient latitude for self-adjustment.- i

if desired the lighting Athe lamp could be effected vby other means as a cord connected to th .e lamp'and not necessary here to be shown..

It will be understood that the various parts before referred to will be properly insulated whenever required. the cap, 20, is insulated by insulating plug a. The plates 16 and 1S are carried on the frame and barrel piece respectively and are on the outside of the arm, and are separated from the arm by strips of insulating material, and the screws holding the plates which are provided with insulating bushings as shown. The spring member 14 is also secured by a properly insulating screw.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

1. The combination with a fire-arm, of a tube, a reiieetor at one end, a lens at the other and a lamp with crossed filaments be V"tween the lens and reflector and disposed proximate to the principal focus of the leus whereby an image of the crossed iilaments is projected forward on an object in the line of iire, said. crossed filaments lying so close together as to allow distinct images of each hlament to be projected by the same lens upon the object in the line of fire.

2. .The combination with a fire-arm, of a tube, a reiiector at one end, a lensl at the other, a lamp with crossed filaments between the lens and reflector and disposed proximate to the principal focus of the lens whereby an image of the crossediilaments is projected forward on an object in the line of fire, and means for adjusting the tube so that the image of the intersection of the filaments will mark the vicinit)r in which the bullet will strike, said crossed filaments lying each proximate to the focus of the lens so that a distinct image of each filament 1s projected forward on te `the object.

3. The combination with a iire-arm, of a lens, and a lamp with. crossed filaments behind the'lens and close to the focus thereof, the lens adapted to throw an image of the crossed filaments forward on an object in the line of fire, said iilaments .lying substantially in a plane at right angles to theaxis of the barrel of the arm, with the filaments lying so close together that a distinct in'iage of each filament is projected forward on to the For instance object to indicate by the intersection olY the images the point at which the pnojectile will strike.

4'. The combination with a firearm, ot ya spring-elm fitting the nre-arm,

said clip having a sprmg-actuated-slotted-ca engaging the sight on. the arm, and an 1 uminating device carried by the clip. t

5. The combination with a hre-arm, of a spring-clip to fit the barrelo'f the arm, said cip having a cap-member engageable with the sight, a tube pivotally supported on the vattaching the tube to the fire-arm, and yieldable electrical connections of the tube with the fire-arm and conductor sections carried by the arm, said sections being in electrical contact and having their adjacent ends slidable relative to each other to permit the piece to be broken for the purpose of loading, a battery connected Withone of said sections, and the other section being connected with said yieldable connections on the tube.

7. The combination with a fire-arm, of a tube inclosing an electric lamp, means for attaching the tube to the fire-arm, yieldable electrical connections of the tube with the fire-arm, said connections including a conconnected With one of said sections and the other section connected with said yieldable connections on the tube.

8. The combination with a fire-arm, of a tube carried by the arm, means includin a spring-actuated cap on the tube engagea le with the sight to hold the tube in place, an electric lamp in the tube, and electrical connections between the lamp and the arm, said connections including a spring-switch-niem-- ber located in the stock of the piece, a pushbutton in the stock for operating said switchmember.

9. The combination with a {ire-arm, of a tube carried by the arm, an electric lamp in the tube, and electrical connections between the lainp and the arm, said connections including a spri11g-switch-member located in the stock of the piece, a push-button in the stock for operating said switch-member, and a sectional conductor having its sect-ions slidingly connected and interposed between said switch-member and the lamp, said sections permitting the piece to be broken for the purpose of loading.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set. my hand 1n presence oi" two subscriblng witnesses.

WILLIAM Il. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

L, E. PETREE,

C. M. LoarGAN. 

